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Welcome to my family blog. I have been married to Mike for over half of my life. I love my Savior, Jesus. I am a stay-at-home, homeschooling mom to six terrific, interesting children. My 3 oldest were born to me in my younger years, while my 3 youngest were given to me by God in my older years. I am very blessed. ~Cheri

12.13.2013

We started our morning bright and early in the Hawaii traffic. It didn't last too long since we were headed to the North Shore, known for surfing.

This is the Dole Pineapple Plantation. The fields seemed to go on forever. We didn't stop to take the tour because I have a 15 year old son that probably is not too interested in learning a whole lot about pineapple growing.

I am starting to understand why the Hawaiian license plates have a rainbow on them. I have seen multiple rainbows on the island since I arrived.

We arrived a bit early and we stopped off at a small beach area nearby the marina.

Since we were out early in the morning and going out on a boat, I dressed to keep warm. I quickly realized how warm it can be in Hawaii in December. I didn't need the jacket or the pants.

Beautiful scenery was in every direction.

Jack is terrified...absolutely terrified of sharks. Everyone knows he cannot even watch an episode of Shark Week without having a pillow ready to hide the television screen. So, for him to agree to get into a shark cage is amazing. Jordan tagged along and was his snorkeling buddy. I stayed on the boat with my camera and Dramamine. The swells made both Jordan and me very nauseous. Jack didn't seem affected one bit. I had to keep looking at the horizon so I wouldn't loose my morning coffee.

Thanks Zach, for letting Jack wear your wet suit. He is also eating all that unhealthy food you've left in the house. (Sadly, I still have not met my son-in-law Zach. He is on deployment for a while.)

There were a few different types of shark, that circled the shark cage. An aluminum shark cage. With plexi-glass. No thank you. But, they survived just fine.

Once our stomachs settled a bit, (which didn't take too long), we headed to this fancy restaurant.

You definitely won't find this on the Waikiki strip. But, that is the great thing about getting off the touristy path. You experience the part of Hawaii that most people do not. Thanks to Jordan, we burped shrimp scampi all day long. I'm still tasting it. She, then took us for some famous shaved ice. It was what we needed since it was started to get very warm.

Yes, they were huge, but we had not problem downing them. Next, we headed to a beach at the North Shore. I had read in travel books to not swim at the North Shore beaches during the winter because of the strong currents/waves. But, today was absolutely perfect. Jack and Jordan braved the waves.

Some people were actually jumping off these rocks. It looked too risky to me.

Hawaii life suits me. I miss my husband and my girls so much, but I'm sure enjoying spending time with my big girl and Jack.